K Economics Professor Advocates Long-Range Municipal Planning

Posted on September 21, 2012

“Buffeted But Not Broken: Kalamazoo’s Five-Year Fiscal Plan” (by Kathy Jessup) describes the origin and development of the city’s long-range planning process, one that contains a further horizon than typical fiscal plans of other cities. Kalamazoo’s decision to engage in longer range planning has been invaluable in response to the economic downtown. Professor of Economics Hannah McKinney first proposed the idea of the Five-Year Fiscal Plan in 2005, when she served as the city’s mayor. McKinney has worked with the National League of Cities and champions the idea of pushing out financial planning horizons in order to better predict and manage both growth and downturns. Jessup’s article appears in the Michigan Municipal League’s magazine, The Review, and a longer version will come out this fall in the International City Managers Association’s publication.